Medical patients undergoing surgery, particularly with anesthesia, and patients having extended periods of immobility have a propensity to form clots in the deep veins of the lower extremities, typically referred to as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral edema. These veins return, deoxygenated blood to the heart and when blood circulation in these veins is restricted from activity there is a tendency for the patient's blood to accumulate, which can lead to the formation of a blood clot resulting in a potentially dangerous interference with cardiovascular circulation. Most seriously, however, a fragment of the blood clot can break loose and migrate to the patient's lungs to form a pulmonary embolism, which if blocking a main pulmonary artery, may be life threatening.
These conditions and the resulting risks associated with patient immobility may be controlled or alleviated by applying intermittent pressure to a patient's limb to assist in the circulation of the blood to prevent pooling or accumulation of blood due to inactivity. Various conventional compression devices are known for applying compressive pressure to a patient's limb. These types of devices are used to assist in a large number of medical indications, including the prevention of DVT, vascular disorders, reduction of edemas and lymphedema. These devices can be used in the hospital or in home therapy. These devices can provide sequential compression to the limb or compression of the limb from a single air bladder.
The use of inflatable garment therapy has proven successful in the treatment of lymphedema and DVT, but such devices require electrical power to operate. Older versions of these devices were connected to 120V electrical current, which means that utilization of the devices required a stationary presence for the patient near a wall outlet in order to plug in the power supply. More recent versions of the devices have been adapted to being powered through batteries, typically rechargeable batteries that are incorporated into a housing with the DC powered compressor and other controls, including an electronic controller that can be programmed to provide a number of different variations of the therapy. These small battery powered controllers provide a freedom of movement without treatment interruption; a convenient apparatus that can be used at home by the patient; ease of handling and storage; and a convenient apparatus that can be operated while the patient is doing other things.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,394,042 granted on Mar. 12, 2013, to Mansoor Mirza; in U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,870, granted on Mar. 26, 2013, to Mark A. Vess; in U.S. Pat. No. 8,784,346, granted on Jul. 22, 2014, to Jakob Barak; in U.S. Pat. No. 9,044,372 granted on Jun. 2, 2015, to David G. Wild, et al; and in U.S. Pat. No. 9,668,932 granted on Jun. 6, 2017, to Orlando Mansur, Jr., et al, inflatable garment devices for providing DVT or lymphedema therapy through manipulation of the inflation of multiple air bladders. In each patent, the controller is portable, although most of these prior art patents do not teach the mounting of the controller directly onto the inflatable garment itself, and the controller is battery powered, typically through rechargeable batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,734, granted on May 15, 2012, to Mark A. Vess; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,801,643, granted on Aug. 12, 2014, to Manish Deshpande, et al, disclose a portable inflation therapy garment in which the controller is directly mounted to a port that is adapted to receive male connector components on the controller within female connector components formed in the fixed port with connection therebetween being accomplished through a snap-fit arrangement. Thus, the controller is carried by the sleeve of the inflation therapy garment and is detachable therefrom. These configurations of a port or mount on the sleeve as taught in the Vess and Deshpande patents are complex devices that are not removable from the garment, even though the controller is removable.
It would be desirable to provide all inflatable garment apparatus for DVT and lymphedema therapy in which the controller can be mounted onto the sleeve of the inflatable garment in a manner to be detachable therefrom and to permit the sleeve to be replaceable at minimal cost while enabling the controller to be used with other sleeve devices.